Wreath knitting machine



March 29, 1949. F. R. SL .AVEK 2,465,665

WREATH KNITTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 50, 1945 INVENTOR,Fr edericii R SlClJ/df BY K TTORNEYS,

March 29, 1949. F. R. SLAVEK WREATH KNITTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed NOV. 30, 19.45

INVENTOR I r'ec7ericTfR.5[cu/e7 BY g ATTORNEYS March 1949. F. R. SLAVEK2,465,665 7 WR EATH KNITTING MACHINE 5 SheetsSheet 4 Filed NOV. 30, 1945INVENTOR v vecfizrfiRSlax/elf ATTORNEYS F. R. SLAVEK WREATH KNITTINGMACHINE' 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR FP'ecZer-icTi R.5[a1/ 4/ ATTORNEYS,

March 29, 1949.

Filed Nov. 30, 1945 Patented Mar. 29, 194-9 UNITED STATES Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for knitting wreaths, particularlysuch as are used as a base for floral or other decorative purposes.

An object of this invention is to produce awreath having a ring base ofcardboard, metal, plastic or other substance; covered with cellophane orany fiexible material knitted thereon.

Another object of thismachine is to produce an ornamental wreath havinga pleasing design.

A further object is to producea mechanically knitted covering ofyielding material upon a rigid or semi-rigid ring base.

A final object of this invention is to produce a decorative wreath whichwill not deteriorate under outdoor conditions.

The invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangementof parts, as herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanyin drawings, forming part hereof, is illustrated oneform of embodiment of the invention, in which drawings similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the complete machine with certain partsindicated by dotted lines to show their direction of travel.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the entire machine.

Figure 3 is an end view taken from the needle end of the machine.

Figure 4 is an elevation in perspective with supporting members andtable. removed showing the various cams, gears and levers which impartthe movements to the machine members.

Figure is a detail view of the latch type knitting needle showin thefirst knitting motion.

Figure 6 is a detail view of the latch type knitting needle showing thesecond knitting motion.

Figure-7 is a detail-View of the third knittin motion.

Figure 8 is a detail view showing the final knitting motion of the latchtype needle.

Figure 9 is a viewshowing the detail of the knitted Wreath.

The various mechanical parts of this machine co-operaie to horizontallyand reciprocably move a knitting needle of the latch type enabling it topicl: up a strand of the weaving material upon each. forward stroke.Provision is made to alternately reverse the position of said needlethrough an arc of 180 in such manner that'it picks up a loop first inthe up position and then in the down position. .The weaving material ismoved by its guideso that itis imposition tobe engaged by thehorizontally. reciprocating needle." The final major motion impartedbythe component parts of this machine a rotation given the frame uponwhich the Zin is done, so that each stitch is aligned in close proximityto the next.

Referring to the drawings. and particularly to Figure 1, it indicatesfour legs supporting a plate l l upon which are mounted two beams l2.Said beams are bored at iii to accommodate a main shaft l6.

drive pulley H5 is attached to one end of the shaft i i and furnishespower to the entire machine. This is accomplished by means of a sprocketwheel l6 and drive chain ll located next to the dive pudley it on themain shaft H-l. An adjustable crank 53 located on the opposite end oftie main shaf" i l also serves to transmit mo tion, imparted to it bythe drive pulley 15, to the machine.

eccentric cam I9 is rigidly attached to the middle of the main shaft M.This cam [9 revolves within a hearing it to which a drive rod ill isthreaded, imparting a reciprocating motion thereto.

The reciprocating movement of the drive rod 2i is transmitted through aclevis '22, integral therewith, to an arm 23 pivoted at one end on ashaft 2% held in a be ing 25. attached to the plate l l. The other" endof the arm 23 terminates in a fork which engages a groove Zl machined inthe end of the needle guide shaft 28. The aforementioned reciprocatinmotion is thereby carried to the needle.

The guide shaft 28 passes through a bearing 29 bored in a bracket tomounted upon a table 3| supported by the beams l2 and 32. The end of thesaid guide shaft 28 is provided with a clamp 33 for holding the latchtyne knitting needle 34.

The previously described rotary motion imparted to the needle 3 by meansof which it alternately picks up loops of the material in an up and downposition, stems from the sprocket wheel l6 located on the main shaft Il. The sprocket wheel It is linked to a driven sprocket Wheel 35 by thedrive chain ll. Said driven sprocket wheel 35 is mounted upon the end ofa driven shaft 33 supported by the two beams 32. It is necessary toeffect a reduction of speed from the main shaft it to the driven shaft36 to coordinate the movements of the machine. This is done by the wellknown speed reduction method.

Referring to Figure 4, 3'! is an eccentric cam attached to the drivenshaft 36. A gear rack 38,

cut in the end of a vertical arm 39 is raised and lowered by ahorizontal arm til, integral there-- I with, which rides upon theeccentric cam 31.

By referring again to Figural it canbe seen" which the material 43 ispassed, is provided for this purpose.

The desired vertical motion of the said eyelet 44 is accomplished by acam 45, best shown in Figure 4, rotatably held by the driven shaft 35.The rotation of the shaft 36 causes the cam 45 to depress a lever 46.The lever 46 is pivoted at one.

end upon a shaft 41 held in a pedestal bearing 48 attached to the plateThe opposite end of the lever 46 is connected to a link 49 which joinsthe lever 46 to an arm 50. A spring 5| secured to the underside of thetable 3| engages a small shaft 52 to return the lever 46 to its originalposition following each depression by the cam 45.

The arm is fastened by a pin to a slidable shaft 53, supported by twobeams 32, which transmits the torque imparted to it by the abovedescribed mechanism, to a rocker arm 54 mounted upon it. The rocker arm54 is furnished with a longitudinal slot 55 at its outer end to enableit to lift the eyelet shaft 56 vertically.

The lateral motion of the eyelet 44, necessary in the knittingoperation, is the result of the action of a third cam 51 attached to thedriven shaft 36. This is best shown by referring to Figure 3. Said cam57 alternately raises and drops a curved arm 53 which rests upon theinner face of a flanged collar 59 held to the sliding shaft 53 by a pin.When the arm 58 is raised it forces the sliding shaft 53 to the right,causing the rocker arm 54 engaging the eyelet shaft 56 to move with it.

A small spring 60 is slipped over the portion of the sliding shaft 53which projects beyond the left hand vertical beam 32. It iscompressed'between the beam 32 and a small collar 6| secured to the endof the sliding shaft 53. The function of this spring 60 is to return thesliding shaft 53 to its original position when the pressure of thecurved arm 58 is released.

The remaining operation performed by this invention is the rotation ofthe frame 62 upon which the knitting is done. Power for this operationis taken from the crank i8 attached to the end of the main shaft I4,shown in perspective in Figure 4. A pawl 63 attached to said crank Mengages a ratchet gear 64. In this manner a shaft 65, to which theratchet gear 64 is keyed, is driven. Said shaft 65 rotatably supportstwo worms 6t and is held by four pedestal bearings 61 secured to theplate I I.

By referring to Figure 3 it may be seen that the motion of the shaft 65imparted by the pawl 63; and ratchet 64 is transmitted by means of theworms 66 (not shown) to two worm wheels 68. The worm wheels are securelyattached to two individual vertical shafts 69 which pivot upon bearings70 set in the plate II. The vertical shafts 69 pass through two bearings1| mounted in the table 3| and terminate in worms 12.

A bracket 13 mounting three spools i4 is attached to the table 3|. Saidspools 14 are grooved along their periphery to receive the frame 62 uponwhich the knitting is to be done and the two lower spools are providedwith worm wheels 16 to engage the worms 12 on the vertical shafts 69.The frame 62 is thereby caused to rotate after each knitting stitch.

The operation of the latch type knitting needle 34 can best beunderstood by reference to Figures 5, 6, '7 and 8.

In Figure 5 the needle 34 has been extended by its guide shaft 28,beyond the frame 62 to pick up a loop of material 43. The eyelet 44 hasjust placed the loop upon the needle 34 by moving laterally in the slot'11 provided for the travel of the eyelet shaft 56. In this figure theeyelet 44 has just moved down for the next operation.

In Figure 6 the guide shaft 28 has pulled back the needle 34 therebydrawing the loop through the frame and finally through the standing loopas shown in Figure '7.

The dotted lines in Figure '7 indicate the position of the needle 34following rotation by means of the gear 4| attached to the guide shaft28. The latch arrangement swings open permitting the hook to slipthrough the loop and catch the knitting material, as shown in Figure 8,below the frame 62. The knitting cycle is then repeated.

Figure 9 illustrates the knitted wreath resulting from the abovedescribed operations. The frame 62, the material to be knitted 43 andthe attractive design achieved by this invention may be seen in thisview. The hidden side of the wreath presents a series of closely spacedstrands disposed side by side, covering the frame 62. The wreath is notclaimed herein but is the subject of a divisional application Serial No.1,217 filed January 8, 1948.

Where a colored cellulose strip is used as the knitting material, aconstricting eye shown in Figure 1 is employed immediately preceding themoving eyelet 44. In this manner a thin fiat strip of material iscrushed into a strand 43 for easy knitting.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a machine for knitting wreaths upon a frame, means to support androtate said frame comprising, in combination, a drive shaft, a crankconnected thereto, a pawl actuated by said crank, a ratchet gear rotatedby the pawl, a shaft carryin said ratchet, a series of worm gearssecured to the ratchet shaft and spools attached thereto and engageablewith said frame, means to vertically and laterally move the material tobe knitted and a horizontally reciprocating needle engaging saidmaterial.

2. In a machine for knitting wreaths upon a frame, means to support androtate said frame, means to vertically and laterally move the materialto be knitted comprising, in combination, a rockable and laterallyslidable shaft, a driven shaft mounting two cams, arms actuated by saidcams to rock and shift said slidable shaft, an eyelet shaft coupled tothe slidable shaft and ver.-' tically and laterally moved thereby and ahorizontally reciprocating needle engaging material.

3. In a machine for knitting wreaths upon a frame. means to support androtate said frame comprising, in combination, a drive shaft, a crankconnected thereto, a pawl actuated by said crank, a ratchet gear rotatedby the pawl, a shaft carrying said ratchet, a series of worm gearssecured to the ratchet shaft and rods attached thereto and engageablewith said frame, means to vertically and laterally move the material tobe said knitted comprising, in combination. a rockable and laterallyslidable shaft, a driven shaft mounting two cams, arms actuated by saidcams to rock and shift said slidable shaft, an eyelet shaft coupled tothe slidable shaft and vertically and laterally moved thereby and ahorizontally reciprocating needle of the latch type attached to a guideshaft by a clamp, said shaft and needle be ing rotated through an arc of180 after each knitting stitch.

4. In a machine for knitting wreaths upon a frame, means to support androtate said frame, means to vertically and laterally move the materialto be knitted and a horizontally reciprocating needle attached to aguide shaft said shaft and needle being rotated through an arc of 180after each knitting stitch by a mechanism comprising, in combination, adriven shaft, an eccentric cam mounted upon said driven shaft, avertical shaft, a gear rack cut into one end of said vertical shaft, anarm integral with the vertical shaft which rides upon the eccentric cam,a gear meshed with the gear rack and keyed to the said guide shaft, anda clamp attached to the guide shaft holding said needle.

5. In a machine for knitting wreaths upon a frame, means to support androtate said frame,

6 means to vertically and laterally move the material to be knitted anda horizontally reciprocating needle of the latch type attached to aguide shaft said shaft and needle being rotated through an arc of aftereach knitting stitch by a mechanism comprising, in combination, a drivenshaft, an eccentric cam mounted upon said driven shaft, a verticalshaft, a gear rack cut into one end of said vertical shaft, an armintegral with the vertical shaft which rides upon the eccentric cam, agear meshed with the gear rack and keyed to the said guide shaft, and aclamp attached to the guide shaft holding said needle.

FREDERICK R. SLAVEK.

R FEEENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 798,348 Kalliwoda Aug. 29, 19051,965,293 Nardulli et a1 July 3, 1934 2,075,213 Lindner Mar. 30, 19372,142,108 Burdett Jan. 3, 1939 2,236,369 Herrmann Mar. 25, 19412,348,746 Nardulli May 16, 1944

